Hi all...I've creeped on these forums the last few months, however I haven't registered until now. I own a 2013 Malibu Eco.

I was curious what types of octane you all use to fuel up your Malibu's (I'm more curious on the Eco owners)?

I purchased my car back at the beginning of September and I've been using 91 whenever I fill up. I did fill up with 87 one time in October and I noticed the engine was lacking power when I needed it. It also seem like the fuel burnt quicker with 87 than on 91.

I haven't tried out 89. I know the manual says the engine runs fine and is recommended to run on 87, but I figured that since it is a new car and I want to take care of it...to buy the 91 octane (the difference isn't so much anyways).

Octane changes how an engine that can effectively use it reacts to driver input. Any engine that needs no more than 87 octane will not benefit from 89 or 91 or 93.

In years past the gas companies got everyone thinking that higher octane also meant more cleaners or "better" gas. That's a myth. Believing it won't hurt you but it will cost you money.

Top Tier fuels contain detergents designed to clean injectors, valves, and other parts associated with the combustion of the fuel. Some "Mom N Pop" varieties also contain detergents but many do not. An occasional tank of non-Top Tier fuel will not hurt your engine but a regular diet of TT fuel will benefit you the most.

A website with comments by various persons, one of whom seemed to speak rather intelligently while still being understandable, had a process where he got the most benefit from fuels. He said that each brand will have a slightly different cocktail of fuel and additives. All additives leave residues and remove others. So his method in use for many miles was to go 5000 miles on one brand and then switch over to a second for another 5000 and then either switch back to the first brand or over to a third. (I can't recall if he rotated among 2 or 3 brands, sorry.) By changing brands after 5000 miles any residue left by Brand 1 would likely be removed by Brand 2, etc.

Something to consider. Also, you might want to find some reputable sites that discuss octane and additives so you'll understand more about how to fuel your car to your satisfaction.

Step 1. Open up the Gas Buddy app on my iphone and find the cheapest gas prices for regular unleaded.
Step 2. Drive to the gas station with the best price that is close by and then park the car at a gas pump not in use.
Step 3. Get out and fuel the car.

Your thinking very old school about the whole situation. Back in the day, it may have been better. You even used to be able to put race fuel in and see the benefits. However, now a days, it is a whole different story.

The engines are built to specs within 0.001", making them optimal under certain conditions. The perfect amount of voltage is applied to the spark plug and the area of the cylinder is honed to ignite fuel at 87 octane. Anything above essentially becomes useless, as it is outside of the useable range. That means that the additional 5 degrees of octane is a waste, as it actually doesn't properly get ignited within the cylinder.

Stick with 87, you will have the best results. Any increase you saw was strictly driver input based. I assume that this information is based upon 1, maybe 2 trips. And the drop in power you experienced was probably caused by the 180 horsepower engine in the family sedan you drive, not the fuel.

Trust me, they pay people hundred of thousands of dollars each year to ensure that your engine runs best with the fuel octane level designed for it, unlike the days of yester when it was just gas.

Hi all...I've creeped on these forums the last few months, however I haven't registered until now. I own a 2013 Malibu Eco.

I was curious what types of octane you all use to fuel up your Malibu's (I'm more curious on the Eco owners)?

I purchased my car back at the beginning of September and I've been using 91 whenever I fill up. I did fill up with 87 one time in October and I noticed the engine was lacking power when I needed it. It also seem like the fuel burnt quicker with 87 than on 91.

I haven't tried out 89. I know the manual says the engine runs fine and is recommended to run on 87, but I figured that since it is a new car and I want to take care of it...to buy the 91 octane (the difference isn't so much anyways).

Congratulations on your new purchase of a 2013 Malibu Eco! We recommend what the owner's manual suggests as it would get the best fuel economy. It says that it is recommended to use 87 octane or higher so you are doing the right thing!

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